I completed my first novel draft in 2003, during National Novel Writing Month. Seven years later, I had written more that 200,000 words spanning three-plus drafts of this same novel. I finally realized that “winging it,” or pants-ing it (as in flying by the seat of one’s pants), didn’t work for me. Fast-forward to 2012….

Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, who was sitting in a tree, “What road do I take?” The cat casked, “Where do you want to go?” “I don’t know,” Alice answered. “Then,” said the cat, “it really doesn’t matter, does it?” —Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland This week an Ivy League university invited my company…

For years, the self-esteem trend in American society has always irritated me. “You can do anything, be anything you want.” “The only limits are the ones you accept.” Yeah. Fine. I’m all about dreaming big and opening one’s mind to the world of possibility. I am an escapist. I LIVE in the world of possibility….

Yesterday I spent three hours helping my three-year-old son with his preschool reading exercise. The task, which includes sorting and assisted reading, should have taken twenty or thirty minutes, but my son has this frustrating habit of, well, quitting. I had discussed this issue with his teachers the day before. He fidgets and daydreams, refusing…

Years ago, when I lived in Memphis, Tenn., my favorite restaurant was Aubergine. It served creative, high-end French cuisine that my job at the time allowed me to enjoy. The chef/owner was a culinary artist. And like many creatives, he had his quirks. For instance, he periodically fired his staff and shut down the restaurant while…